By TRACEY DRURY
tdrury@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1609

Two Western New York counties will receive $2.2 million in new state funding to better respond to emergency situations.

Niagara County will receive $2 million, while Genesee County will receive $228,309 from the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. The funding is part of a $20 million pool awarded to improve first-responder communications in 16 counties, including 14 affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

Counties receiving awards will use the funding to obtain portable and mobile radios, as well as base stations capable of using national interoperability channels and other local mutual-aid channels. Also included are projects to construct and install new equipment at towers and antenna sites; projects to deploy microwave equipment to provide more reliable transmission between sites and facilities; and projects to implement gateway technologies for linking county systems.

This is the first round of awards from the Statewide Interoperable Grant program, a new multi-year, competitive reimbursement program funded from the state cellular surcharge.